I’ve been lax in posting in the past few weeks. I suppose you could say I’ve succumbed to the challenges of life of late.

I’m very well aware that we battle not against flesh and blood, but against forces that we cannot see (Ephesians 6:12). Unfortunately, too often, those forces work within families and people that we know. I’m not saying that I know people who are possessed, in the classical sense of the word, but I’m fully aware that Satan and his demons use people all the time to accomplish their evil plans.

While my blog is a very public thing, I still need to be careful with what I explain here when it comes to my family. But I also want to share things with you in the event that God has brought you here to learn something from someone else.

A verse that has manifested itself right in front of our faces is from Proverbs:

He who troubles his own house will inherit wind, and the foolish will be servant to the wisehearted. –Proverbs 11:29.

The other one is:

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. –Ephesians 6:4.

Having said this, I’m fully aware of my short-comings as a father and a stepfather. But these verses aren’t directed at my wife and I. No, my wife and I have been struggling with these verses as they relate to another parent that is part of our family.

Our situation is frustrating and disheartening, especially during those times when we forget that God is in control and sees everything. I told my wife this morning that if God is all-powerful, all-knowing, sees all things and knows the beginning and the end, then the question is: do we trust Him? Do we really trust Him?

If we do, and if we are living for Him and for His will to be done, then all we need to do is to trust Him.

Easier said, than done I know. But one thing I am finding is that the more you give to God in terms of your problems, worries, concerns, and fears, the more you realize that He is in control of everything.

Am I tap-dancing around the issue here? Yes, sort of. It would be the easiest thing in the world for me to just put the ugly story down here. I will say that blended families are challenging under the best of circumstances. My personal situation has been really great until the past few years (pre-teenager years). Not perfect, but it definitely could have been a lot worse.

What makes blended family situations intolerable at times is when the parents have two different moral compasses, and one is wise and the other is a fool. I’m blessed that I’m married to the wise one.

To the fathers out there: I’ve seen the results of not following Ephesians 6:4 first-hand. Speaking for myself, when I’ve lost my temper with my own 2.5 year old, I see how I’ve provoked him to anger. Speaking on behalf of my stepson, I’ve seen it all too often. It’s heartbreaking when you see a broken spirit; when the light has departed from one’s eyes. The heart grows cold and the spirit is crushed.

What I haven’t been able to understand is how this sort of thing can go on for almost 17 years of his life and with increasing regularity. I’m not perfect, but it pains me when my own 2.5 year old is sad or hurt especially when I’m the cause of it. But then the answer comes to me: pride. For the first time in my life, I think I’m finally getting why God hates pride.

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling. –Proverbs 16:18.

If I could, I wish I could share Proverbs 11:29 with a certain someone. But Solomon gives plenty of eye-opening, counter-instruction:

The wise of heart will receive commands, but a babbling fool will be ruined. –Proverbs 10:8.

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel. –Proverbs 12:15.

A fool’s anger is known at once, but a prudent man conceals dishonor. –Proverbs 12:16.

Leave the presence of a fool, or you will not discern words of knowledge. –Proverbs 14:7.

Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool, much less are lying lips to a prince. –Proverbs 17:7.

A rebuke goes deeper into one who has understanding than a hundred blows into a fool. –Proverbs 17:10.

Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, rather than a fool in his folly. –Proverbs 17:12.

A fool does not delight in understanding, but only in revealing his own mind. –Proverbs 18:2.

A fool’s lips bring strife, and his mouth calls for blows. –Proverbs 18:6.

A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are the snare of his soul. –Proverbs 18:7.

If you would, please keep my stepson in prayer. My wife and I are in a little wooden boat with him that is taking on water. As fast as we are bailing out the water and trying to plug the holes, someone keeps making new holes. Our prayer is that God gives us an iron-hulled boat and sends a great fish to swallow the one trying to sink us.

Believe me, I’d much rather have this person start listening to God’s wisdom than inheriting the wind of his own folly. But I leave that in God’s hands and His will.

May He Increase!

Today we want to look at the parable of The Sower and its relation to the letter to the church at Ephesus.

The Parable of The Sower

That day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea. And large crowds gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach. –Matthew 13:1-2.

Before we get too far ahead, it should be noted that the parables we will be studying in Matthew 13 all deal with the kingdom after it had been offered to the people of Israel. This is based on:

• Whenever the kingdom is mentioned in the Bible, it comes in multiples of seven (seven parables, seven letters, etc.).
• The elders of Israel had effectively rejected Christ in the preceding chapters, most notably in Matthew 12:24, when they actually accused Jesus of doing miracles by Satan’s power!
• The symbolism of Matthew 13:1-2.

When Matthew says “Jesus went out of the house,” the symbolism is Jesus leaving the house of Israel for the gentiles. The sea that is mentioned is, of course, the Sea of Galilee, but symbolically it represents the nations of the gentiles. We see examples of this in the book of Daniel, for example, in Daniel 7:2-3. Therefore, this is Jesus giving parables of the kingdom from the time of His rejection to His Second Coming.

Jesus only interprets two of the seven parables: that of The Sower and that of The Wheat and the Tares. It’s critical that we understand these two parables because the rest of them hinge upon the symbolism and interpretation of these.

And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow; and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up.” –Matthew 13:3-4.

The sower is Christ. The seed is the Word of God. What is crucial to understand is that the birds are representative of Satan.

“Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.” –Matthew 13:5-6.

How deep are your roots? Do you have a depth of relationship with Christ that your roots run deep into His Word and His promises? Or, when that sun comes up, blazing hot, do you wither away under it’s heat?

“Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out.” –Matthew 13:7.

Have the cares of this life and of this world choked out your relationship with God? Are you striving after things of this world that have no lasting value?

“And others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.” –Matthew 13:8-9.

If you are bearing fruit for the kingdom, keep on bearing fruit! Don’t stop if you think “I’ve done enough.” If you’re still on this earth, don’t stop bearing fruit for God!

The Sower and the Letter to Ephesus

Jesus commended the Ephesian church for:

1. Deeds and toil
2. Perseverance
3. Intolerance of evil men
4. Testing those who call themselves apostles who are not
5. Perseverance (a second time)
6. Endurance for Christ’s sake
7. Not growing weary

Each of these require roots in the Word of God. As Jesus said in Matthew 13:8-9, the Ephesians were bearing fruit through their deeds, toil, perseverance and endurance. They could not test those who called themselves apostles apart from the Word of God. Without the Word of God, they would fall into the trap of tolerating evil as well.

Without roots in the Word of God, the evil one can easily snatch you away on every wind of false doctrine.

As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming. –Ephesians 4:14.

How do you avoid this? By getting rooted in the Word of God!

Next time

We will study the next parable, The Wheat and the Tares, and the letter to the church at Smyrna.

May He Increase!

Paul accurately describes it this way:

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. –Ephesians 6:12.

These rulers, powers and world forces are not politicians or evil governments. They are demons and Satan’s angels! These are behind all the wicked rulers of the world.

With this in mind, there is a scene from the Old Testament that gives us a glimpse into who fights for the believer. It’s the scene where Elisha prays and asks God to show his servant that there is nothing to fear one early morning.

The king of Aram sent out a large dispatch of horses and chariots to go and arrest Elisha and bring him back. They surrounded the village he was in during the night.

Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” –2 Kings 6:15-16.

This poor servant gets up and the first thing he sees is an army amassing on their position. He panics and asks Elisha what they should do. You get the feeling from Elisha’s response that he might have still been lying in bed peacefully without a care in the world.

He then says something really provocative: “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Who or what is he talking about?

Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. –2 Kings 6:17.

Elisha was surrounded by the angels of God! Whether Elisha saw the horses and chariots before he asked God to reveal them to his servant isn’t clear. But that really isn’t the point. The fact is Elisha knew that it was God who watched over them and would fight this battle for them, in faith.

Paul also reminds us:

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? –Romans 8:31.

I don’t mean to minimize the power of the demons and satanic angels. They are powerful. On your own, you are no match for them. But they are created beings and they are no match for the power of God.

I take great comfort in knowing that there are angels watching over my children. They stand guard over my family in the battle that I cannot see with my human eyes.

May He Increase!

The letters we have looked at so far are:

• Ephesus: “The Light of Asia“
• Smyrna: “The Church of Suffering“
• Pergamum: “The Pagan Church“
• Thyatira: “The Church of Romanism“
• Sardis: “The Protestant Church“

We now come to Philadelphia. It’s one of my favorite letters. It’s the letter that speaks to the church of our time!

Philadelphia: “The Revived Church”

Philadelphia is the smallest city of the seven. As you probably know, “Philadelphia” means “brotherly love.” It was located about 38 miles SE of Sardis.

Today, Philadelphia is a prosperous little Turkish town known as Alasehir. It sits on the Cogamis River, a tributary of the Hermus River. The city got its name from Attalus II. He had a great love for his brother, Eumenes who was king of Pergamum. Because of Attalus’ great love and loyalty to Eumenes, it is called “the city of brotherly love.”

Philadelphia is the only other church, besides Smyrna, that Jesus has no word of condemnation. It’s noteworthy that the two churches Jesus only has praise for, are the only to cities still in existence! The churches have disappeared, though, since that time.

The church in Philadelphia represents church history from about the beginning of the nineteenth century to the Rapture. This is the revived church: the church that turns back to the Word the God.

Jesus’ Letter to the Church at Philadelphia

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this.” –Revelation 3:7.

Here is yet another self-description of Jesus. Jesus describes Himself as the Holy One, the truth, and the All-Powerful One.

The “key of David” is a quote from Isaiah:

“Then I will set the key of the house of David on his shoulder, when he opens no one will shut, when he shuts no one will open.” –Isaiah 22:22.

This is a different key from the “keys of death and of Hades” that were mentioned in Revelation 1:18 and the “keys of the kingdom” that are found in Matthew 16:19. The key of David signifies Jesus’ royal claim as Ruler of the Universe.

“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” –Luke 1:32-33.

Jesus is clear who has the authority:

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” –Matthew 28:18.

The Good News

“‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name.’” –Revelation 3:8.

Jesus commends this church on several points:

• “I know your deeds”: Jesus is looking for our fruit (Ephesians 2:8-10).
• “An open door which no one can shut”: this is the Word of God.
• “You have a little power”: the Greek word used is “δύναμις” which is transliterated “dynamis” where we get our English word “dynamite.” As we have said, Philadelphia was the smallest of the churches. But their power was likened to dynamite. What was that power? The Word of God!
• “Kept My Word”: Jesus praises this church for keeping His word. Jesus would have the same praise for us today who treat His word–the Bible–as the authoritative and inspired Word of God!
• “Not denied My Name.”

“‘Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie–I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.’” –Revelation 3:9.

The true “Jews” spoken of here are those that left the synagogue and the practice of the law for Christ (Romans 9:6). Paul considered the true Jews to be those who gave up the law as a means of salvation and justification for Christ’s redemptive work of the cross.

• “I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you”: Jesus tells the church that the enemies of Philadelphia will know that Jesus loves this church.

“‘Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.’” –Revelation 3:10.

• Perseverance: so often Jesus tells His followers to have patience and perseverance (2 Thessalonians 3:5).

Jesus then promises to keep the believer from the “hour of testing.” Here Jesus specifically says that He will deliver His church from the Great Tribulation that “is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”

The Deliverance of the Church from the Great Tribulation

I believe the Bible teaches a pre-Tribulation rapture. There are different schools of thought on this point, but I believe that if you carefully study what the Bible teaches, it would appear that the church will be taken up to heaven before the Great Tribulation begins.

Paul sets the stage for this in his second letter to the Thessalonians:

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. –2 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

This is the believer’s “blessed hope”:

Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus. –Titus 2:13.

Because of this, the church should not anticipate the Great Tribulation with all of its judgment:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” –John 5:24.

And:

It was also given to [the Antichrist] to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. –Revelation 13:7-8.

Getting back to Revelation 3:10, Jesus specifically says that He will keep the church “from the hour of testing.”

If the rapture had occurred in the first century preceding the tribulation which the book of Revelation describes, they were assured of deliverance. By contrast, those sealed out of the twelve tribes of Israel in [Revelation 7:4] clearly go through the time of trouble. This implies the rapture of the church before the time of trouble referred to as the great tribulation. Such a promise of deliverance to them would seemingly have been impossible if the rapture of the church were delayed until the end of the tribulation prior to the second coming of Christ and the establishment of the kingdom. –Dr. John Walvoord, The Revelation of Jesus Christ.

The Believer’s Crown

“‘I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown.’” –Revelation 3:11.

This is a short, but interesting verse. The flip side of this verse is that you can lose your crown.

In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. –2 Timothy 4:8.

Incredible. But keep in mind, this is not the believer’s salvation. That is completely different. The crown is the reward for works done in faith because of the believer’s free gift of salvation.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. –Romans 6:23.

The Promise to the Overcomer

“‘He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” –Revelation 3:12-13.

J. Vernon McGee says of the pillars:

There are two pillars in Philadelphia today. One is that of the Byzantine church, which I do not think is the reference here. But there is also a pillar on the side of the hill, hidden among those cedar and laurel trees. That pillar is all that remains of the city of John’s day. “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God.” The church down here was destroyed, but the permanent pillar is up yonder. –J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee.

Jesus’ statements about writing “the name of My God” and the “city of My God,” are the authorizations for the believer’s access anywhere in God’s kingdom. Much like a passport gives you access to other countries, this is our heavenly passport in the heavenlies!

The last letter, written to the church of Laodicea, we will look at next time. The church of Laodicea is the apostate church. It’s a sobering letter, but not one without hope.

May He Increase!

Like Ephesus, Smyrna was one of the better churches. Smyrna, however, did not receive any word of condemnation. Jesus only had positive words to speak to Smyrna.

We will now study the third letter, the letter to the church of Pergamum.

Pergamum: The Pagan Church

Pergamum was located about 45 miles north of Smyrna. It had one of the finest libraries of antiquity, boasting over 200,000 volumes. It was the place where parchment was first used. At one time, it was the capital of the Roman province of Asia.

The word “Pergamum” in the Greek is “Πέργαμος.” Transliterated it is “Pergamos” which is the word used in the King James Version. The word means “height” or “elevation.” Quite picturesque considering that it was built on a mountain and was a fortified city.

Pergamum represents church history between A.D. 314 to A.D. 590. It was a period marked by the world moving into the church and the church moving away from the person of Christ.

Jesus’ Letter to the Church at Pergamum

“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: the One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this.” –Revelation 2:12.

Here is the third description Jesus gives of Himself. The “sharp two-edged sword” is found in the Bible several times.

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sward, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. –Hebrews 4:12.

Also,

And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. –Ephesians 6:17.

And,

And out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword. –Revelation 1:16.

What is this sword? The scripture is clear: it is the word of God. What is the Word of God?

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. –John 1:1.

It’s Jesus.

The Good News

“‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.’” –Revelation 2:13.

Jesus notes two things right away about Pergamum. He notes that in spite of Satan setting up shop there, Jesus acknowledges His faithful who dwell there and “hold fast [His] name, and did not deny [His] faith.” That’s a huge commendation.

It is also revealing that it dismisses that notion that Satan is in hell. This is such a common belief that it is almost taken for granted. There is nor has there been anyone in hell up to this time. That does not mean that hell does not exist. It very much does. It has already been prepared but no one is there . . . yet. Satan and all his fallen angels as well as those that are not in Christ, will be cast into hell much later in Revelation 20:10-15.

When I first read this passage and saw the name “Antipas,” I initially thought this was referring to Herod Antipas. That was until I read the description of this person that followed: “My witness, My faithful one.” I knew immediately that Jesus was not referring to Herod.

This Antipas–a name which means “like the father–was a Christian whom we know nothing about other than he was a martyr in Pergamum. Although we may know nothing about him, Jesus certainly does as He mentions him by name!

The thought ends much as it began. Jesus says twice that Pergamum is where Satan dwells and that it is the place of his earthly throne at that time.

The Bad News

“‘But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality.’” –Revelation 2:14.

The story of Balaam and Balak is found in Numbers 22-24. Balak had asked Balaam–a prophet–to curse Israel who had come into the land of Moab. Every time Balak asked Balaam to curse Israel, Balaam would actually bless Israel!

However, Balaam wasn’t necessarily a good guy. At that time, Israel fell into pagan worship of the god Baal. Later in Numbers we find out who counseled them to do this:

Behold, these caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, so the plague was among the congregation of the Lord. –Numbers 31:16.

Peter mentions Balaam as well:

Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness. –2 Peter 2:15.

This is the covetousness of one who hires himself to do religious work only for personal gain.

The half-brother of Jesus, Jude, also mentions the “error of Balaam”:

Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam. –Jude 11.

Here, Jude explains that Balaam had hired himself out as a prophet. This epitomizes his deceit and covetousness.

Back to Revelation:

“‘So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.” –Revelation 2:15.

Remember back in the letter to the Ephesian church, Jesus praised them for hating the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Here it’s word of condemnation for Pergamum’s toleration of them!

“‘Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.’” –Revelation 2:16.

You do not want to be on the opposing side of a war with Christ!

The Promise to the Overcomer

“‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.’” –Revelation 2:17.

“The hidden manna” here refers to Christ Himself.

“Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.” –John 6:49-51.

The “hidden manna” notes the sufficiency of Christ for the believer’s needs.

The “white stone” refers to a vote of acquittal. In the ancient courts of justice, the accused were condemned by black pebbles and the acquitted by white. It signifies our assurance that we will be acquitted when we stand before God.

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. –Romans 8:1.

As for the “new name,” J. Vernon McGee explains:

It is helpful to learn that the people of Asia Minor to whom John was writing had a custom of giving to intimate friends a “tessera,” a cube or rectangular block of stone or ivory, with words or symbols engraved on it. It was a secret, private possession of the one who received it. Well, Christ says that He is going to give to each of His own a stone with a new name engraved upon it. I do not believe that it will be a new name for you and me but that it will be a new name for Him. I believe that each name will be different because He means something different to each one of us. It will be His personal and intimate name to each of us. –J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee.

In spite of the dire message to the church, Jesus ends His letter with a wonderful promise.

This is the pagan church: the church at Pergamum.

The next letter is written to the church at Thyatira: representative of Romanism. We’ll study that letter next time.

May He Increase!